All military units in Crimea flying Russian flags

MOSCOW, March 26 (Xinhua) -- All military garrisons deployed in Crimea have raised Russian flags, the Russian General Staff said Wednesday.

"As of March 26, Russian flags have been raised in all 193 military garrisons and barracks of (former) Ukrainian armed force," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov as saying.

According to the Army General, all Ukrainian military personnel in Crimea who wanted to remain in Ukraine's armed forces have left the garrisons unarmed and will be transported to nearby Ukrainian regions on trains.

Gerasimov said about 1,500 Ukrainian servicemen had chosen to remain loyal to Kiev and were awaiting repatriation.

Clashes between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian supporters in Crimea erupted shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Crimean leaders signed a treaty on March 18 for Crimea to become part of Russia.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry agreed to withdraw its troops from Crimea, involving about 6,500 people, troops and their families, and military equipment worth 11 billion U.S. dollars.